Babies have a way of making us smile. They are squishy....they smell good...and for me they bring hope. I had the joy of going to Tahoe last week to photograph sweet Amelia who was about two weeks early. Not just that but this new family had planned a move the weekend that she arrived. I was still able to capture all of her newborn faces along with the joy and excitement of her parents. Oh yes and her furry brothers too. Best Wishes to all of you!
Today is International Bereaved Mother's Day https://goodmenproject.com/families/the-importance-of-international-bereaved-mothers-day-bbab/
As I think about Evan and the loss of him I can't help but think of all the other parents but especially Mom's who have lost a child. It is never easy..it continues to hurt...but we keep moving inch by inch..moment by moment. The immense love that we felt is only made harder but the immeasurable sadness we feel with our loss.
Yesterday when I got home from work we had received a letter from the Donor Network. The folks who connect donor families to the people who have received their loved one's organs. In God's great mercy and because of His great love for us...this letter arrived this week. The great excitement that this recipient has experienced from receiving Evan's heart....that it has brought him back from the brink of death has made it is so very bittersweet for me. I'm so glad that he felt safe enough to contact us. That he has shared how his life has been immediately changed. How he is doing all that he can to live a health life and use the gift that he received to tell other to give the same gift. I can't help but be so overwhelmingly mournful of our great loss.
With that said...We would not change the course that has taken place with Evan doing what was in his heart....and that was to be an organ donor. I'm proud of him and his very clear and direct decision to donate his organs. We continue to see God's hand in all of it and never once have thought this was not what Evan would have wanted. So as I close out this blog on this day that many are struggling to understand why and what can this all mean...let me encourage you. Hold your head up as well as you can...I know from experience it is not always easy...be present in the everyday...and if you can, think about giving the gift of life through being an organ donor. You could change the course of someones life. I know that it did for Lee. https://www.donornetworkwest.org
In my Captured Moments Newborn gallery Hallie's newly born photos were part of my 2016 season. Hallie's grandma, Teresa is a friend of mine and that was how I was introduced to Hallie's momma, Lindsey. I traveled across the bridge to meet with them in their home to capture the first few weeks of Hallie's life. It was such a sweet time and I was so grateful for Lindsey's trust in allow me to capturing her newborn moments. I informed her when we first talked that I was a simple photographer. I didn't really do props or wraps. Just you and your baby. She loved that idea and gave me a couple of ideas she hoped to capture. I've included a few of the photos from that time we spent together.
Fast forward to February of 2017. Lindsey and I have been in touch during the last year. She reach out to me during the earlier days in November when my son had passed away. She sent me a photo she had found on the Sacramento State website that had mentioned about my son's passing. It was such a sweet gesture during a time that was one of the most gut wrenching of my life. She then contacted me in February asking if I was available to do Hallie's one year photos and she wouldn't have want anyone else but me to do these timeless photos for her and I said absolutely!!! We both had a few detours in our schedules but we eventually worked out a time and a place and below are the results of our time together. I love this family!!
Lindsey...thank you for not only reaching out to me but for trusting me with your most precious possession...your family.
